The movie, which is due to shoot May in London, was a hot title at the recent European Film Market and will be distributed domestically by CBS Films.

Gambit centers on a British thief (Firth) who comes up with a fool-proof plan to steal an expensive statue from one of the richest men in the world. His strategy involves the participation of a beautiful woman (Diaz) who happens to be the spitting image of the rich man's late wife. But nothing goes as planned.

Rickman will play the rich man.

Rickman, repped by WME and Independent Talent, returns as Severus Snape in this July’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2.